IOM organized a two day workshop for national stakeholders on Migration Governance Indicators (MGI) and pertaining methodological materials on migration data collection and analysis

This workshop was conducted within the framework of the project "Building national capacity to collect, analyze and use migration statistics for the national development plans in Turkmenistan”, funded by the IOM Development Fund (IDF). Objective of the workshop was to introduce modern sources, tools and methodologies for collecting and analysing data on migration, as well as the possibilities of using this information to develop national migration strategies and development programs in the context of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The workshop brought together representatives from the Ministries and departments of the Government of Turkmenistan which are collecting data on migration including the State Migration Service, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, State Committee on Statistics, Ministry of Education, Institute of State, Law and Democracy, and Parliament (Mejlis). The seminar featured presentations by Head of IOM mission in Ashgabat, IOM Consultants on migration methodologies and research analysis, more than 20 guest speakers representing IOM RO Vienna, IOM HQ Geneva, IOM Berlin, and IOM Moscow; as well as a state representative from the Ministry of Labour, Migration and Employment of the Republic of Tajikistan, a state official from the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan and a national officer from the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations of Uzbekistan.

The meeting began with welcoming remarks by Mr Azat Atajanov, the Head of IOM mission in Turkmenistan.

«MGI was developed in 2015 to better measure the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 10.7.2 or ‘well-managed migration policies’. MGI is expected to help establish a baseline to assess national policy frameworks, identify gaps to be addressed, and track the progress of national and international commitment to safe and orderly migration. Since 2016, 83 countries have participated in the MGI process»- started his introductory presentation Mr. Atajanov.

Following this presentation, Mr. Amr Taha- the Senior Regional Liaison & Policy Officer, IOM RO, Vienna introduced the notion of MGI, its goals and objectives:

“In an effort to support countries to build comprehensive migration policy, IOM formulated the Migration Governance Indicators (MGI) to offer an opportunity to governments to have an introspective look at the initiatives they have in place and identify good practices as well as areas of potential growth”.

“Through a holistic assessment of migration governance using 94 standard indicators, the MGI seeks to offer a more comprehensive picture of a country’s migration governance, at both the national and local levels”, - emphasized the importance of MGI Andrea Milan - Data Manager IOM's Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC), Berlin.

After the introductory note on MGI, Mr. Otabek Botirjonov – a representative from the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan continued his presentation with sharing a practical experience of MGI process in Uzbekistan and the way it could be used to show best practices and identify gaps in the migration policy framework. 

Bahrom Samadov, a Head of Migration Department from the Ministry of Labour, Migration and Employment of the Republic of Tajikistan reported research findings of MGI assessment in Tajikistan back in 2020 and identified areas which could be considered in drafting and further developing a national migration strategy.

Participants discussed migration management in the context of sustainable development goals, development and implementation of migration strategies and programs for managing migration policy, new migration trends and challenges that may pose for the migration management system in Central Asia.

«Maximizing the benefits of migration, while addressing its challenges, requires strong policies and institutional frameworks, clear objectives and a long-term perspective», -  stressed Yuliana Pavlovskaya, Senior Project Assistant, IOM Moscow.

Following these presentation national partners marked the importance of the migration agenda and the close partnership between IOM and the Government of Turkmenistan. National stakeholders commented that gained knowledge and skills would be applied in migration policies to achieve national priorities and to fulfil international commitments including the 2030 Agenda and the GCM reporting.

IOM Consultant -Sergey Ryazantsev - Director of the Institute for Demographic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences concluded that:

«Continually prioritizing migration in local, national and global policy agendas is a means for all governments to advance human development around the world».